Latin: Diplopoda
Millipedes are common but non the less this species are noted as a pest today.
Appearance
The millipede is quite familiar, and the name describes the pest’s characteristic appearance. The millipede is recognizable by its long and worm-shaped body, which can consist of up to 340 different joints. From the 5th joint from the head, the millipede has two pairs of legs on each joint. This means that the millipede can have several hundred legs.
The color of the body may vary, but you will typically find that this is dark and solid color. The millipede is also equipped with a hard “shell”, that have the function as a shield. Size wise this pest can vary from 20-35 mm, as the most common measurements. However, you can experience both larger as well as smaller species.
Indoors, you will typically encounter the Archijulus sabulosus. This is the largest species of millipedes and can measure up to 5 cm in length. The characteristic of this species is the yellowish longitudinal strips along the back. And it can be recognized by that.
Biology and behavior
The millipede prefers dark environments and high humidity. Most of the species are found in the top layer of the soil. Most millipedes are slow-moving detritivores, eating decaying leaves and other dead plant matter, and therefore an important part of the degradation processes. They can also be found under rocks, bark, or similar places with a high humidity.
The millipedes occur during the night, where they can be seen in large quantities measured per. Square meters. Although the millipede is known as a pest, its biology also has a beneficial effect in nature as they do convert fallen leaves just as the earthworms does it. They can convert fallen leaves as well as venting and mixing the soil.
Damage
It is important to point out that the millipede does not do any significant damage indoors. It is however difficult to ignore the annoyance the do cause and thereby making them unwelcome inside our homes. Lucky the numbers of the millipedes in the home will decrease as they will not survive in the conditions we have inside, as it is a dry environment and therefore not favorable for the pest. Most of them will therefor dies within a few days.
Prevention and pest control
It can be difficult to see if you have millipedes in your home, because this species is nocturnal. And by that rarely is seen during the day. You can however experience that they wander I larger numbers, and that they may by mistake wander into your home.
If you do want to prevent the millipedes in your house, this should be done from the outside. You can decrease the problem by using an insect powder. You should powder the places where this pest is able to enter the house, and in this way make sure that the can not the house through cracks and crevices. If you want to treat against millipedes that have already entered the house, you can also do so with insect powder. To treat in the most efficient way, you should powder door openings, door frames, window frames, panel cracks, and similar places, where the pest might seek shelter. However, insect powder is rarely necessary as you can remove them by hand or use your vacuum cleaner.
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